Siemens completes its 1,000th subway car in Vienna

Siemens has completed and handed over its 1,000th subway car for Vienna’s Wiener Linien at its plant in Simmering, ORF reported. The milestone marks decades of subway production in Vienna.

Subway cars for Vienna have been designed and built in Simmering since the 1970s. The plant has produced every generation except the vehicles used on the U6 line, from the first U-generation “Silver Arrow” to the V cars and today’s X cars. The 1,000 cars amount to about 167 complete trains.

The current X generation has been operating with a driver since 2023. It is also intended to run fully automatically on the future U5 line. The vehicles are made of aluminium, and the plant is also a centre of expertise in lightweight construction for rail vehicles.

At Friday’s handover were Vienna mobility councillor Ulli Sima, Wiener Linien managing directors Gudrun Senk and Alexandra Reinagl, and Siemens Mobility Austria managing director Tanja Kienegger. Senk said the new vehicles offer passengers innovative passenger information, a high level of accessibility and a spacious design.

Transport Minister Peter Hanke said the anniversary was significant for industrial policy, citing secure jobs in Austria and value creation that stays in the country.

Siemens also builds subway trains in Simmering for cities including London, Sydney and Munich, and says it expects another major order. The plant has previously developed and built trains for Melbourne, Bangkok, Singapore, Taipei, Riyadh, Oslo, Nuremberg and Kuala Lumpur. It is also Siemens’ global headquarters for metro projects, which are managed from Vienna.